Certain American foods leave the Brits with a bad taste in their mouths. And they don't hold back on their opinions when it comes to food. Buzz60


Calling all Aussies, Brits, Kiwis, Canucks and anyone else with an affinity for British culinary traditions; Santiam Brewing might be your new home away from home. 

Over the course of the past ten months, since the Brewery ended a short-lived partnership with Chad Lewis of Chad's Smokin' Barbecue , they have slowly developed a menu of their own, one that leans across the pond. 

"Although we never set out to be a British-themed pub we started to get a reputation for it," said Ian Croxall, one of Santiam's owners, "so we thought well let's just go for it."

Though likely helped along by the massive Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom, hanging over the bar, the shift originally started with Croxall's culinary influence.

Originally from Derby in England, Santiam's menu includes his recipes for beer-battered fish and chips, Cornish pasties and savory pies the likes of which many Americans have only seen on The Great British Baking Show

Croxall began cooking British dishes at home, "I've been doing it for thirty years because you can't get them anywhere."

"When you have a food item you grow up with, and then you move somewhere you can't get it, you either go without or you cook a lot."

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Bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, Yorkshire pudding with roast beef; "stuff that just isn't part of American cuisine," said Croxall, serves up a side of nostalgia for him and other immigrants. 

As a result, "we're starting to get a number of ex-pats that come in here, so there are certain things we have to stick with; the right kind of chips, the classic sausage roll, the Scotch eggs."

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To keep things what Croxall calls "proper," Santiam sources black pudding and back bacon for their Full Monty, a weekend-only full English breakfast. They mail-order Heinz beans for beans on toast and marrowfat peas to make the sidecar of mushy peas accompanying many a pub lunch. 

The printed menu features an illustration pulled from a World War I era poster of Brittania arm in arm with Uncle Sam. While British and Aussie style savory pies are now available daily, distinctly American offerings remain.

The All American Pub Burger with bacon, cheddar and frizzled onions arrives topped with a paper American flag, while the Great British Fish and Chips come with a British one. Santiam's version of shepherd's pie is made with locally-raised lamb. If that's not your thing but you still want coziness in a bowl, there's mac and beer cheese. 

Jim Smiley, another of Santiam's owners, said the shift in the brewery's menu has reflected back on the beers. Beloved since their opening for a variety of beers heavy on European styles, it has given them a chance to "focus on having more of a British lineup, particularly on the cask side."

Adding British food, he said, "very much plays into what we've been doing on the brewing side for years, it's kind of a natural identity fit."

"What we're realizing," Croxall added, "is that people are into us as much as they're into the beer." 

While not long ago Salem's bars and breweries all had very similar menus, catch-all selections of burgers, tacos, hummus plates and sandwiches, there's now more differentiation as players like Xicha and Santiam carve out distinct styles. 

"It seems like there's a lot of sameness. You go to a lot of brewpubs and everybody's got a burger," Smiley said. "If you're just like everybody else you don't stand out. And nobody around here is doing this. Nobody." 


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If you go

Where: 2544 19th Street SE

When: Monday through Wednesday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Phone: 503-689-1260



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